


We Can Dance

by Raevell



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-13
Updated: 2013-07-13
Packaged: 2017-12-19 08:21:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/881583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raevell/pseuds/Raevell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one danced there anymore. Dancing was a sign of happier times.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Can Dance

Pairing: Eren/Armin

Warnings: This is total fluff. Like, embarrassing amounts of fluff. Other than that there are none. Also, I'm making stuff up about Wall Sina, I always just assumed a lot of rich folk live there.

 

_ We Can Dance _

__

Eren couldn’t help but notice that Armin seemed depressed lately. Of course, there was plenty to be depressed about, he thought, and it was difficult for anyone to stay optimistic given the current state of affairs when it came to the world. Everyone had their good days, bad days, it was nothing unusual.

But it was different this time, it had gone on for some time now and seemed to be getting worse. Eren noticed it, the way Armin’s eyes would drift off and become unfocused during a conversation, how he sighed more often than usual, how he’d give half of his rations to Sasha, unable to finish his meal on his own.

It was difficult for him not to worry as Armin began more often than not spending time with the ton of books the Scouting Legion obtained through their missions, desperately trying to educate himself, as though if he could cram as much information into his brain as possible it would ensure all future plans would go exactly as he envisioned.

That day was no different. Armin had headed into the small room they had dubbed the library as soon as he got the chance.

He spent the afternoon hunched over an old desk with several different books opened out in front of him. He didn’t even look up, seem to notice, as Eren stepped in. Eren’s thoughts on him being oblivious to his presence were confirmed when he set a cup of tea down next to him and Armin’s shoulders jerked.

“Relax, it’s just me,” Eren chuckled, holding his own cup of tea in his hand.

“Oh, thank you,” Armin glanced down at the cup Eren had left at the edge of the table. His mind was still on the books but Eren had at least gotten it started it in a different direction. He rubbed his eyes with both hands before reaching for the drink. He brought the edge of the cup to his lips and drank slowly, uncertain of what kind of flavor he’d be experiencing. Much to his relief, it was pleasant. “Mm... This is good. You didn’t make this,” he stated matter-of-factly and smiled in response to Eren’s pout.

“Okay, wise guy, you got me. No, I didn’t... But I helped,” he added after Armin gave him a knowing nod. “It was mostly Mikasa though,” Eren stepped up to the desk Armin was seated at and pushed one of his books aside before sitting against the edge. “We both thought you could use a break.”

“It hasn’t been that long, has it?” Armin asked and when Eren lifted his brow, he sighed in response. “So, it has been that long...”

“What are you reading, anyway?” Eren took a long sip, smacking his lips as he picked up the book Armin had right in front of him at the time.

“Ah! Careful, Eren,” Armin reached for the other side of the book as Eren lifted it up by half of its pages. “It’s heavy and not in the greatest condition to boot.”

“Sorry,” Eren quickly apologized, setting down his cup to properly hold the book with both hands. He made a mental note of the page number before flipping through it backwards. He was surprised by some of the illustrations in it, mostly of people who appeared to be of great wealth wearing different, elaborate, looking fashions. Eren finally closed the cover to get a look at the title. “Inside Wall Sina: A Guide to Everyday Life...?” his statement transformed into a question at the tail end. Eren turned back to Armin and tilted his head. “What’s with this?”

Armin reached for the book and gently took it back from Eren. He didn’t have to ask him the page number in order to find his place again, having already committed it to his memory. “I found it on one of the shelves over there and it piqued my interest...” he shrugged, trying to make it seem insignificant. He hoped Eren didn’t notice the blush he could feel scorching his face. “You hear all kinds of stories about what it’s like in the inner wall growing up... I guess I just wanted to know how much of what I’ve heard was embellished.”

“It always sounded terrible to me. It’s bad enough living in one wall, let alone being surrounded by more. They have so little land too, you know. Talk about being in a cage.”

Armin tried not to groan, he really did, but he couldn’t keep it down his throat. He knew Eren wouldn’t understand, his whole focus was on the outside world. For the most part, that was what Armin dreamed about as well, getting to see what was beyond their cage. Still, he couldn’t dismiss the luxuries of Wall Sina, as though it wouldn’t be a pleasant life.

“Still, you know...it must be nice...not having a care in the world...” he muttered, lifting his elbows up to the desk and resting his chin on his palms.

Eren’s mouth opened a bit, though he couldn’t think of how to respond at first. That look, Armin was drifting off again, mind wandering into places that Eren couldn’t reach. He wanted to understand though, he wanted Armin to share what he was thinking with him.

“Uh, so...what did you learn? About it, I mean,” Eren began, hoping to get Armin talking. The blonde boy turned to him with knitted brows and a small frown.

“You’re not really interested.”

“Yeah, I am!” the look on his face persisted. “...Okay, maybe not, but come on,” Eren reached over and pushed on Armin’s shoulder. “Something must have caused you to be interested in Wall Sina. Tell me.”

Armin leaned back in his chair. He knew Eren was just indulging him but admittedly he did want to talk about it, share some of his thoughts, hear them with his ears and not just within the confines of his mind. Brushing a few locks of hair behind his ear, he stared down at the pages in front of him.

“I guess sometimes I’m just a little envious... You figure, most of the people there have just continued their daily lives as though nothing happened five years ago... They didn’t lose their homes or their families...” he turned to the next page. “Routine just continued for them.”

“...you’ve been thinking about your grandfather again,” as soon as Eren said it, he wished he could take the words and stuff them back into his mouth, seeing the anguish it brought to Armin’s face and the way his hands tightened. He quickly cupped the back of his own neck and rubbed it as he felt his muscles tense. “Ah, sorry, that was stupid of me to—“

“No, you’re right, that’s part of it,” Armin interrupted him after sucking in a deep breath of air and closing his eyes. He didn’t want to talk about it, he wanted it far from his mind. Armin flipped through the pages of the book, back tracking this time, wanting to get onto another subject. “You know, the people there, they aren’t all working on producing food. They have a surplus thanks to everyone living in the outer walls, so they can devote their time to other things. You know, painting, creative writing, inventing, taking up different sports... It’s hard to imagine, isn’t it?” he didn’t lift his head to look at Eren’s face. “Only a few people had time for hobbies like that when we were growing up and even then it got discouraged. No one has the money to buy a painting, so why learn to paint? Hobbies are expensive, poor people can’t have hobbies. They can’t afford them, they don’t have time for them...”

Eren could hear it, just the faint tone of bitterness in his voice as he spoke. He wondered where this was coming from. He was longing for a more simplistic life, he supposed. He was feeling the pressure of having people’s lives in his hands as their superiors continued to trust his judgment and tactics. It was a heavy weight he had to carry on his shoulders.  Eren understood that, of course he did. He would have been lying if he said he didn’t often wish he could just go back to that home he grew up in, still living a boring everyday life. Who didn’t often wish for that?

When Eren finally came up with something to say, Armin spoke up again, cutting him off before he even began to voice his thought.

“They even throw parties all the time. They have these big, extravagant balls just like you hear about in fairytales,” he flipped to a page and pointed to an illustration, but again didn’t look up to notice if Eren was paying attention to where he was gesturing. “There are tables filled with food, they even have a live orchestra-you know, since people there can actually take the time to learn an instrument-and people get dressed up in their best outfits made of the most expensive materials and dyed these bright, beautiful colors and they dance.”

No one danced there anymore. Dancing was a sign of happier times. Within Wall Sina, those times had never ended, so they still danced.

“They just...dance all night, not thinking about anything other than that moment they’re in... It must be nice.”

Armin’s voice drifted off, becoming soft as he finished speaking. His shoulders were hanging as he slouched over, looking down at the pages in front of him. Eren felt a pain in his chest and it spread all the way to his stomach. It had been a while since he’d seen his best friend look so defeated.

Eren crossed his arms and took a deep breath. A second later a spark came to him, causing a smile to spread out over his face.

“Okay, so we can’t get tables full of food, afford new attire, or find a live band, but we can dance.”

Armin’s head lifted up immediately, his eyes growing large in size. Eren was staring back at him with a look that told Armin that the brunette boy was being completely serious, yet he couldn’t help but question it.

“Wait, what?” Armin asked and gasped as his eager friend came up behind him and pulled out his chair, distancing Armin from the desk so that he could stand up. “Eren!” the blush from before was returning and he automatically brought his hands up to his cheeks as though covering them would conceal this fact.

“Come on, get up! We are doing this,” Eren said, continuing to grin broadly as he watched Armin.

Armin groaned softly. He lowered his hands and turned towards Eren, his friend’s arms opened towards him, waiting for him. He knew what he was trying to do and the brief moment of embarrassment shifted into feelings of gratitude. Tipping his head back, Armin closed his eyes and sighed as he felt like the amount of weight on his chest lessened.

Finally opening his eyes again, he returned Eren’s smile. “Eren, that is _not_ how you ask someone to dance.”

Eren’s eyes lit up. His smile became hidden behind a closed hand as he brought it up to his mouth and cleared his throat. “Right, of course not,” he stepped up to Armin and offered a hand to him after bowing towards him. “May I have this dance?”

Armin couldn’t help but laugh, feeling as though he had been taken back to a moment in time where he, Eren, and Mikasa would pretend all the time, playing something like house or just goofing around like this.

“You may,” Armin answered as he placed his hand in Eren’s.

Eren closed his fingers around his and pulled him up out of his seat. The strength behind the motion was stronger than Armin had expected and he stumbled as he was lifted to his feet, colliding with Eren as he tried to steady himself. The other boy caught him against his chest and laughed softly.

“Sorry,” he apologized as Armin settled onto his feet. Eren took a step back. “Okay, put your hand on my shoulder,” as he instructed him, he lowered his own hand to Armin’s waist. “Just follow my lead.”

Armin nodded and he lifted his hand to Eren’s shoulder, the other one still being held by him. Eren started by moving to one side and Armin tried to follow as he felt the gentle pull of his hand. He shuffled his feet awkwardly and the toe of his boot collided with Eren’s.

“Oh, sorry! Uh, I’ve never danced like this before. I didn’t realize you were an expert,” Armin commented with a small smile.

“Eh, I saw a picture in a story once,” Eren told him as he pushed against Armin’s side just ever so slightly, urging him back as he stepped forward. He watched their feet at first, making sure that he didn’t step on Armin’s toes. “I talked to Mom about it and she showed me how. Said it was important I know how to properly dance with a girl. Uh, not that you’re a girl!” he decided to add, lifting his face up again to look back at the blonde boy.

Armin laughed, much to his relief. Hearing that sound calmed Eren for numerous reasons. For starters, knowing that Armin was enjoying himself and also feeling that somehow it confirmed he would be all right.

“Well, I’m glad one of us knows what we’re doing,” Armin replied, watching their feet as they moved. One step, two step, three... He could see the rhythm and began to feel it as they continued. It wasn’t as difficult as he thought or perhaps Eren was just good at this. That made sense, Carla would have taught him well.

In spite of how odd this would have seemed to most, both boys were completely comfortable with one another as they moved around the small pace, taking tiny steps as they held each other.

“Want me to sing?” Eren joked.

“I think this is fine,” Armin replied with another gentle laugh and Eren chuckled in return.

It began to feel more fluid, the movement. Their steps became a bit wider as they both became more confident with one another. Armin continued to smile and although they weren’t moving very fast his heart wouldn’t stop racing. It was the same for Eren, the pace of his heart surprised him.

“Okay, I’m going to spin you,” Eren warned, giving Armin’s hand a squeeze before lifting it up and twirling him around. Armin laughed again, the crimson color returning to his face.

“I’m spinning you this time,” Armin replied after they settled back into the rhythm for a moment.

“I don’t think that’s how it’s supposed to work,” Eren replied, but went with it after chuckling, turning beneath Armin’s hand.

They came together again and as Eren’s hand touched Armin’s waist, he moved it around to the curve of his back and pulled him a bit closer. “Look at that, you’re a natural.”

“I think it’s easier being led,” Armin responded. “I’m pretty sure I’d be stumbling all over the place if I tried taking the lead.”

“You can try leading next time,” Eren replied.

The implication that there would be a next time caused Armin’s heart to do a noticeable bounce in his chest.

Footsteps known to one another by then, they watched each other’s eyes and swayed a bit to the silence. The only sounds in the room was of their soft breathing and their shoes as they stepped together, only having the tune in their heads to go with.

Armin was the one to close the remaining distance between them, pressing his body against Eren’s as they continued to dance.

“...is this all right?” he asked him, wanting to be sure.

“Yeah,” Eren nodded, his own face turning a subtle pink. “It’s fine.”

It had been going on for some time now. They both acknowledged that their relationship was changing, but neither of them were completely certain of what it was becoming. Something closer, without question. Their hands would seek one another’s more often and what would initially be a gentle hug between them would turn into a tight embrace. They didn’t want to question it. They went with it, testing boundaries frequently, seeing if the other boy would reciprocate. There had not come a time yet where either of them had rejected the each other’s advances.

Armin rested his chin on Eren’s shoulder after moving his hand around to his back. Their clasped hands released each other and moved to circle around their dance partner. Eren’s arms wrapped around Armin’s waist and Armin’s around his shoulders. Their steps were becoming smaller, covering less distance.

It was just like he had imagined. Dancing with someone you cared about, it really did take your mind off of everything else. Armin’s thoughts, for once, were as quiet as the room they were in. It had been a long time since he had experienced something like that, a lack of frantic noise and dialog. It was peaceful.

“Thank you, Eren,” Armin said softly as he turned toward the crook of his neck.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Eren replied, continuing to smile as he rested the side of his face against the top of Armin’s head. Knowing he had helped the person who had saved him countless times, had inspired his dreams, shared them with him, was an accomplishment he valued.

Even as their dance ended, neither one of them moved away. They stood there, holding each other close, sharing their warmth, not wanting the moment to end.

 


End file.
